It is known in the art of digital communications that a communication network is used to transfer information from one device to another. Each device on the network is called a "node" and the network has at least one master node and one or more servant or slave nodes. Some networks may require each servant node to identify itself in order to transmit any information to the other nodes or may require the servant to have a unique identifier for it to receive messages from another node. Providing a unique identifier to each servant node can be time-consuming and costly in large networks, requiring customization of each servant node to provide a unique identifier for each servant node.
The process of identifying each servant node on a network is called network (or servant or node) configuration. Network configuration is currently performed for each servant node using non-volatile memory, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, Flash ROM, battery-backed memory, or by hardwired approaches, such as jumpers, DIP switches, etc. In the jumper approach, the servant node address is set manually by cutting the appropriate wires, cutting printed circuit board traces, or by installing conductive jumpers across header pins. In the DIP switch approach, the address is assigned by setting the appropriate switches to the desired states. In the non-volatile memory approaches, each servant node is programmed using special memory programming hardware. The assignment of the servant node identifier (or address) may be performed upon installation of the node in its desired application at its desired location, or alternatively, may be done at the factory in what is referred to as the "serial number" approach. In the serial number approach, a unique identifier is assigned to each servant node at the factory, where the servant node address is based on the serial number of the servant node.
Each of these configuration techniques requires additional hardware and/or is labor intensive.